A MEDICAL SURVEY has found that almost ten per cent of people are choosing to go online for medical advice rather than consult a GP.
The 2009 study carried out in Limerick city also found that of those surveyed who use the internet, more than a quarter do not question the veracity of the information, June Shannon reports in the Medical Independent. Over half of the 164 patients surveyed said they used the internet for medical purposes, but one in four did not question the authenticity of online material.
The most popular method for acquiring information was internet search engines, with the HSE and VHI websites also used, as well as Wikipedia. Almost 20 per cent said they asked their GPs for advice on which sites could be trusted and nearly 80 per cent of those that went online felt that it had improved their medical knowledge.
The study was conducted by UL graduate entry medical student Michael O’ Callaghan and Limerick GP, Dr Criona Burns.
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